Getting to know the Spartans

Illinois will take on Michigan State this Saturday in what Illini fans hope will be a happy homecoming. After what some call a surprising move by head coach Ron Zook to Bench fourth year starter Juice Williams for back up quarterback Eddie McGee, there will be even more questions entering this match up than expected. The Illini have not played well against the Spartans recently although they did win the most recent clash, a 23-20 thriller in which Jason Reda nailed a 39 yard field goal with 6 seconds left in the game. That was the first time the Illini had beaten the boys in green since 1992, a 9 game losing streak. Juice Williams was a freshman, Pierre Thomas was the starter, and Detroit Lion Drew Stanton was slinging the skin for MSU. The starters have changed and so has the face of this football team. Last year if you played Michigan State, you had to expect Jevon Ringer to carry the ball on you 30 times. This year the passing offense has blossomed into a force. MSU is currently ranked first in the Big Ten for both passing yards (300.6 yards per game) and total offense (434.2 ypg). Here is a look at the key players that will be in Champaign for the 99th enstallment of Homecoming.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins Cousins is a guy who obviously has the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff being that he is only the second sophomore team captain in the 113 years of Spartan football. That seems like a pretty nice honor to me. The best part is that he hasn't let his team down. Coming into the season there was somewhat of a quarterback controversy between Cousins and fellow sophomore Keith Nichol. Nichol was a back-up at Oklahoma but when your the back up to a guy named Sam Bradford, it's easy to see why you might worry about playing time. Cousins had his best game of the season against Notre Dame when he completed 23 passes for 302 yards and also led the team with 75 rushing yards. Cousins is a mid-sixties completion passer and can has done a great job running the offense. After the departure of Drew Stanton to the NFL, MSU has struggled to find their new leader at the quarterback position but I feel that Cousins can end that disscussion.

The Running Backs People don't realize what Javon Ringer was to this football team. In 2007, Illini fans will remember Rashard Mendenhall getting a large number of carries in each game, 262 carries on the season for 1,681 yards. In 2008, Ringer rushed for a very similar 1,637 yards, but it took him an astounding 390 carries... 2 more carries than Mendenhall had in his three year career. Replacing that would be almost impossible. That being said, the job of running back was a concern coming into the season for most MSU faithful. To this point, freshman Larry Caper, red-shirt freshman Caulton Ray, and sophomore Glenn Winston all have between 34 and 46 carries. Out of these three, the most impressive has been the one with the least experience. Larry Caper is leading the team with 36 rushing yards per game... not bad for a freshman but when the team is rushing for 133 yards per game you realize how much Ringer's 126 ypg. meant to the 08' offense. The overall result for the team has been positive though. Last year only Minnesota, Ohio State, and Michigan accumulated fewer yards per game. As I stated earlier, this year the offense is leading the Big Ten.

Wide Receiver Blair White White started his career at MSU as a walk-on and was awarded a scholarship before the start of the 2008 season. White currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 29 receptions and holds the same rank in receiving yards per game with just under 80. White isn't a burner but is very much like Ohio State's Dane Sanzenbacher with a little mor heigth. He is very dependable and runs his routes from start to finish with aggressiveness. Good hands and a decent frame give White the advantage on jump balls over shorter defensive backs. White isn't alone at the WR position however, sophomore B.J. Cunningham has also looked good this year. Another big frame at 6'2" 212 lbs., Cunningham isn't going to burn teams deep every game but he is going to win position battles. He showed his hands against Notre Dame this year with 7 catches and has been a part of the offense in every game this year. Not yet a game breaker, but Cunningham has been good for between 50 and 75 yards in every game this year.

Tight End Charlie Gantt Gantt is a junior starting for his scond straight year as the tight end. Some times overlooked due to the glorification of offensive stats as opposed to team production, Gantt is an excellent run blocker with an NFL body at 6'5" 250 lbs.. The numbers will tell you that he isn't much of a threat in the downfield passing game, but a 92 yard game against Indiana in 2008 tell you not to leave him uncovered.

Middle Linebacker Greg Jones Jones is the type of middle linebacker that Illinois had become accustomed to in J Leman and Brit Miller. Only a junior, Jones already has 265 career tackles which is good for 24th on the MSU all time list and his 28 tackles for loss put him at 11th in the books. This year he has been an absolute monster in the middle. His 60 tackles lead the Big Ten and are second in the nation for total tackles. Spartan's linebacker's coach Mike Tressel was quoted as saying, "He is an instinctive player with a great motor... a relentless competitor who never gives up on a play". Pre-season, Jones was named to the three most prestegious award watch lists for a linebacker, the Butkus (of course named after Illinois great Dick Butkus for the top college linebacker), the Lombardi (best college lineman), and the Nagurski (defensive player of the year). Three times this year the MLB has recorded 14 or more tackles in a game. I love this kid's motor. When you watch him play you are reminded of recent college guys like Patrick Willis of Ole' Miss and Aaron Curry of Wake Forrest. At 6'1" Jones isn't the tallest guy in the middle, but he isn't short either. His best attribute is his knowledge of the game and his play recognition which is second to none. I expect another 10+ tackle game for Jones this Saturday.

DT Jerel Worthy Worthy is one of those guys who flew under the radar a little bit, but it's not taking him long to make a name for himself. With offers from Cincinnati, Akron, Marshall, Ohio, and a Nebraska team who was losing ball games, Worthy wasn't expected by most to perform to this level this fast. My guess is that his size has something to do with his lack of high major offers. At only 6'2" 290 lbs., Worthy is shorter than most starting defensive tackles in the Big Ten. That hasn't slowed him down a bit though. To this point in the season, the red shirt freshman has 3.5 sacks which ranks him second in the Big Ten. He will enter Saturday's match up with a tackle for loss in four straight games. Keep your eye on this kid because he is a budding Big Ten star.